The case study guide for "Fashion and Quality" at Nicole Miller with Nicole Miller and Bud Konheim in NYC as seen on Small Business School, the series on PBS member stations.

The Case Study Guide

last update: September 2006

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Can pricing be fun?

Create a Win-Win

Bud and Nicole were employees of a large company and they recognized an opportunity not being exploited by it.

Bud went to the leadership and explained what he and Nicole wanted to do.

Bud proposed that he help the big company by selling it out of its current inventory then he and Nicole would basically spin that division off into what is now the Nicole Miller Company.

Topic for discussion: What makes any proposal risky?

Answer: The people in power can tell you, "No." However, it is better to try to do the right thing by being honest and open than it is to try to deceive.

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Key Ideas of this episode


1.		Sell Happiness
2.		Pricing is Art
3.		Feed and Trust Your Instincts
4.		There is No Place Like Home
5.		Create a Win-Win
6.		You Can Stumble into Millions
7.		Staying Small is a Strong Position
8.		There's Power in Partnerships
9.		Multiple Sales Channels Work
10.		Internship Programs Work
11.		Make Organization Charts circular
12.		It Never Gets Easy

You have to live with yourself.

The stories about Enron, Worldcom, Tyco, HealthSouth and Parmalat haunt us. These are publicly-traded companies that were lead by men who tried to deceive.

Yes, they all made millions and in some cases billions of dollars. But for what?

The business owners we study here are like Bud and Nicole. They have a real product and they believe they can deliver it to customers at a fair price. Period. They tell the truth, work hard and long, then smile when they see the balance sheet.

What do you think? When have you missed an opportunity to create a win-win?

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